iPad launched in Russia today with very limited stock

Apple has officially launched the iPad in Russia today (or yesterday, if you happen to be in Russia at the moment). All six models are available from three retail chains including M.Video, Bely Veter and re:Store.

There's quite a few strings attached to this launch, however. According to Tatar-inform, the iPad will only be on sale in five cities including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, and Kazan. Perhaps even worse for Russian Apple aficionados who hope to get their hands on an iPad is that there are only 3,000 to 4,000 iPads available in the country on launch, but Apple does plan to ship forty to fifty thousand units to Russia by the year's end.

Prices range from 19,990 rubles (US$650) for the 16GB WiFi model to 32,990 rubles (US$1,075) for the 64GB WiFi+3G model. Those prices might seem high, but Tatar-inform says that when the iPad launched in the US in March, they almost immediately penetrated the Russian gray market and fetched prices as high as 100,000 rubles, or US$3,256, apiece.